They had their moments, but in 2000, a ten y/o asked me why guys my age liked SW so much. He saw ep1 and didn’t see what the big deal was.

I think that sums it up.

On the other hand, Knights of the Old Republic was good. Of course, Lucas was not very hands-on with that project, so…

Cerberus7March 18, 2006 @ 2:21 pm

Re: I’m sorryKnights of the Old Republic the Series would kick ass!

Pick it up after the events of KOTOR II, the rebuilding of the Republic, the Sith remnants, the Jedi Order restored. Bastila and Revan’s child… *oops*

Degrassi Jedi Academy??

DaveMarch 18, 2006 @ 3:27 pm

Re: I’m sorry

Degrassi Jedi Academy??

Only if Kevin Smith and Jason Mewes can guest-star in a few episodes while their characters are filming a new movie, "Jay and Silent Bob Tear Up Tattooine."

TimeshredderMarch 18, 2006 @ 4:53 pm

Re: I’m sorry

Degrassi Jedi Academy??

"…But all the cool kids were being seduced by the Dark Side down in the ravine…."

but I really don’t see this as good for the fans. I grew up with the original SW 4-6, and I know I’ll catch some grief for this, but SW 1-3 just plain sucked. Flame away, I’ll wait.

I think you’d find a lot of people with similar feelings, but I‘ll wait and see. After all, the last time Lucas put Star Wars on television, it was the Holiday Special, and we all know what a treat that was, right?

*cough*

GrimSeanMarch 18, 2006 @ 4:59 pm

Re: I’m sorry

I think you’d find a lot of people with similar feelings, but I‘ll wait and see. After all, the last time Lucas put Star Wars on television, it was the Holiday Special, and we all know what a treat that was, right?

*cough*

What about Clone Wars?

And, seriously, I think most of the people at this site rate Eps. 1-3 as on par with Enterprise.

y42March 18, 2006 @ 7:02 pm

Re: I’m sorry

After all, the last time Lucas put Star Wars on television, it was the Holiday Special

What about Clone Wars?

That’s more Genndy Tartakovsky than Lucas.

TimeshredderMarch 18, 2006 @ 7:04 pm

Re: I’m sorryWell, and Lucas had little to do with the Holiday Special, other than trying to get all copies destroyed.

CanthrosMarch 18, 2006 @ 3:59 pm

Re: I’m sorry

On the other hand, Knights of the Old Republic was good. Of course, Lucas was not very hands-on with that project, so…

KotOR was great, but KotOR II was kind of mediocre, mostly because it was incomplete. The completed parts were pretty sharp, but so much of it was retread or cut down, including the story.

Once that’s done, I’m jumping all over it. They have a nifty progress page and from the looks of it, they’ll probably be done this summer.

radu_floricicaMarch 19, 2006 @ 10:08 am

Re: I’m sorry

but I really don’t see this as good for the fans. I grew up with the original SW 4-6, and I know I’ll catch some grief for this, but SW 1-3 just plain sucked. Flame away, I’ll wait.

Grief from the fans? What fans? Most (all that I know of) from the original SW fans feel just the same as you do, and the new SW don’t really have fans… not close to what we used to be. Just popcorn fun.

So no, you’re not by far the only one to feel this way :) You’ll find opposition here only if you praise mr binks.

TimeshredderMarch 19, 2006 @ 12:24 pm

Re: fill in the gaps

This would be my other problem with the project: what gaps? At the end of Episode III, the Jedi are extinct or on the run, Vader has his outfit and persona, the instrumentality of the Empire has been put into place, and the Death Star is partially built– even though it’s a newly-completed threat twenty years later in Episode IV.

I have a hard time believing the Emperor would tolerate the kind of labor disputes that would hold up its completion for that many years. Perhaps he’d been given a really exaggerated estimate on the completion of the planet-destroying function.

y42March 19, 2006 @ 3:16 pm

Re: fill in the gaps

This would be my other problem with the project: what gaps?

Well, are the later storm troopers a clone army, or regular people? How did they go, in 20 years, from Jedis running the security racket, to being a quasi-forgotten ‘superstition’?

TimeshredderMarch 19, 2006 @ 4:05 pm

Re: fill in the gaps

How did they go, in 20 years, from Jedis running the security racket, to being a quasi-forgotten ‘superstition’?

Some people in China refuse to believe that the Tien an Men Massacre happened. I’ve met Americans who think Iraq was behind the 9-11 attacks and the U.S. is in Iraq for that reason. Let’s not get into what Soviet control of their news achieved back in the day. Propaganda can have amazing effects, in dictatorships or in ostensibly free states.

TwistyHatMarch 19, 2006 @ 3:55 pm

Re: I’m sorry

but I really don’t see this as good for the fans. I grew up with the original SW 4-6, and I know I’ll catch some grief for this, but SW 1-3 just plain sucked. Flame away, I’ll wait.

I don’t see how a SW series is in anyway going to benefit anyone. Well, maybe a couple of unknown actors, but George has already proven that he doesn’t care about the fans.

Am I the only one who feels this way?

I agree that acting, writing and story sucked (oh is that all), but they looked good – perhaps the series will have some nice effects for me to enjoy :)

TrekkieMarch 20, 2006 @ 8:41 am

Re: I’m sorry

but SW 1-3 just plain sucked. Flame away, I’ll wait.

I don’t think the teenage girl segment that those three jokes of a movie were targeted at frequent this board. You’re likely to get a bunch of ‘amen brotha’ and ‘damn skippy’ type responses than you are to get any flames.

When I saw that Ep 3 got nominated for some award or another I knew that award category was a joke. Because how could anyone consider that a good film? The only way I can watch ep 3 is to hit the chapter skip button whenever someone starts talking. Makes it like watching your brother play a video game instead of a god awful movie.

Ep 2 is a 20 min short on Yoda vs. someone in a lightsaber battle makes it somewhat watchable, and ep 1, whell <shudder>. For some reason I bought 5 tickets in the first week and saw it 5 times with 5 different groups of people. There’s a week of my life I won’t get back.

TwistyHatMarch 19, 2006 @ 3:54 pm

I sense…… that its going to be crap – I haven’t felt that way since … oh last time Lucas made something *g*

J_W_WMarch 19, 2006 @ 8:10 pm

Just have to sayI just kind of feel compelled at this point to say something in Star Wars defense. It amazes me the kind of bashing it get here. Now before getting any flames for defending eps. I-III, I must say that, yes, I was extremely dissapointed in Episode I, and while I think Episode II took a while to get up to steam, I think it got the prequels back to being Star Wars. Between Episode II and III there was this amazing thing called Clone Wars. I’ve always been a fan of cartoons, and yes, a fan of Samuri (sp?) Jack. My interest in the series was rekindled and I began to look forward to III like I had originally for I (and swore not to afterward).

Quite honestly, I was not dissapointed by three at all. Sure Hayden could be a bettter actor, but so could have Mark Hamill. I really thought is was a really good movie. Nothing will ever compare to Empire for me, but thats just the way it is. I still think III was good.

What bothers me is that it really appeared that after Episode I, it was very en vogue to diss any and all Star Wars. Everyone jumped on because even hard core fans didn’t like it. With the next two movies, there really wasn’t a chance. I know II had some really poor dialouge, but so did parts of the original series.

I just feel its so much bandwagon jumping on by everyone.

After Episode III, and espically Clone Wars, I’m ready to give a Star Wars television show a chance.

In fact, my son asked if I would record the new Star Wars show. I of course said yes. He asked what if it wasn’t good. I told him quite honestly, "I’d still record them all." I was a huge fan, I’m still a huge fan, I’ll always watch (well up until they enter young Luke in a podrace, that I’d have to turn off ;-)).

They’re just movies and TV shows, Lucas didn’t destroy anyone’s childhood memories, he really didn’t. That’s what the people who brought us Alien3 did…. sorry for that reference, but for a movie series ruined by one movie that is my gold standard.

Amanda HugandkissMarch 20, 2006 @ 8:06 am

Re: Just have to sayYou know, I really agree with you in just about everything you’re saying. I’ve been a fan of the movies since a kid, and while I don’t think the new movies are wonderful stuff, at least they got better towards the end. I’m looking forward to the serialization, especially as TV shows nowadays often surpasses movies in terms of quality (the Stargates, Battlestar Galactica, the 4400s etc).

I have to say, though, that Alien3 wasn’t that bad of a movie. I liked it quite a bit, even after re-watching it last year. It’s Alien 4 I can’t stand. That’s got to be one of the worst movies ever made.

TrekkieMarch 20, 2006 @ 8:52 am

Re: Just have to say

I just kind of feel compelled at this point to say something in Star Wars defense. It amazes me the kind of bashing it get here. Now before getting any flames for defending eps. I-III, I must say that, yes, I was extremely dissapointed in Episode I, and while I think Episode II took a while to get up to steam, I think it got the prequels back to being Star Wars.

Ep 1, while they had so much potential the Jar Jar conspiracy flat out ruined that movie for me. It had a ton of decent ideas and was really my favorite of the three honestly. If the Phantom Edit version ever came out I’d really have enjoyed that version. Jar Jar was like nails on a chalkboard for me.

Ep 2…if you skip the first two hours it’s a fine addition. But the first two hours of the film is about as exciting as watching paint dry.

Ep 3 had horrendously huge potential, but completely failed to live up to it. The opening sequence was amazing, and I’ve watched it several times. The ‘final fight’ was great as long as you bought the weak story line.

The ‘fall’ of Anakin was badly written. The fact that he could walk into a temple and slaughter small children over such a weak story line was awful. They could have done so much more to ‘win’ you to his side as far as his viewpoint but instead he looked like a moron who was taken for a ride. If he felt the Jedi were corrupt killing all the children isn’t a way to fix things, you can always educate children to your way of thinking. It surved no purpose to have him scythe 6 year olds down because of the council. Had they showed his younger years of being tormented because he wasn’t at the temple all his life while the teachers turned a blind eye I might buy a bit more animosity but basically he took the actions of 6 or so people and held it against hundreds, if not thousands. Moronic.

I bought all three of the prequels, and I’ve watched them all at least twice if not three times, even though I hate them. That’s how much I love the universe they created. But it had so much more potential than it could have ever built and they wasted it. They’d have been better off novelizing the Timothy Zahn series and calling it a day.

And luke was a whiney kid in the first one as well, and I always fast forward through the tatooine scenes in the beginning because they’re about as dry as week old toast.

TimeshredderMarch 20, 2006 @ 9:05 am

Re: Just have to say

The ‘fall’ of Anakin was badly written.

The entire point of the first three episodes is the corruption and fall of Anakin, and it was "badly written," poorly-plotted, and questionably cast. As a bonus, nearly everything that might be of interest in that central story gets shoved into the third movie. Yes, the films had pretty pictures and yes, they did improve slightly, but when the key flaws in a three-movie arc is the central matter, the basis of the entire story, we have a problem.

The tv show might do better, but I’m not holding out much hope.

J_W_WMarch 20, 2006 @ 9:29 am

Re: Just have to say

The ‘fall’ of Anakin was badly written.

The entire point of the first three episodes is the corruption and fall of Anakin, and it was "badly written," poorly-plotted, and questionably cast. As a bonus, nearly everything that might be of interest in that central story gets shoved into the third movie. Yes, the films had pretty pictures and yes, they did improve slightly, but when the key flaws in a three-movie arc is the central matter, the basis of the entire story, we have a problem.

The tv show might do better, but I’m not holding out much hope.

I will agree that bulk of the story for the prequels resides in the end of Episode II to the end of Episode III. Even including Clone Wars, there is still an immense amount of material that could have been build upon between two and three. A lot more elaboration could have been made about Anakins fall. They could have shown some of his actions during the war and their impact in his fall. A scene where he saves the lives of someone he deams innocent, only to have them do something to kill jedi or a bunch of clones would help explain why he "as Vader" might see jedi childen as a threat in Episode III. An even better rewrite of the scene with the children in the council chambers, would have been for him to turn his saber off and walk out of the room, only to have stormtroopers run in to finish them off. That would have lent some credence to the "there’s still good in him" attitude that Luke later adopts.

Anyway, yes, I could see in my mind many different versions of Ep. III, but all in all it was a very entertaining Star Wars movie, and I also have to say that some of the imagry was absolutely amazing, from the opening battle, to the "masking" scene (that POV was absolutely nightmarish).

But you’re right, I will watch the TV show with a lot of hope, and a little bit of worry.

TekzelMarch 21, 2006 @ 10:50 am

Re: Just have to say

I just kind of feel compelled at this point to say something in Star Wars defense. It amazes me the kind of bashing it get here. Now before getting any flames for defending eps. I-III

I have to jump in and speak up at this point myself. Far from a 11 year old girl, im a 34 year old man. I love Sci-Fi and Fantasy (like any good geek). I also liked all 3 of the movies. Absolutely, some horrible choices were made (midichlorians, Hayden Christenson, and the travesty that was Jar Jar for example) but all in all, I did enjoy watching all 3 of them and dont regret one bit spending the money.

I too think it is fashionable to hate the new Star Wars movies. In fact, I am going to go one further and say the harder you bash it the more you liked it and are afraid to come out of the closet about it!! :)

gearysterMarch 20, 2006 @ 12:31 pm

Wanted to totally agree on Clone WarsI just wanted to chime in on a positive note for Clone Wars. Genndy Tartakovsky did an amazing job, and the last few episodes regarding the capture of Palpatine by Grievous were fantastic. The Jedi were amazing fighters, and the Clone Wars has some of the best Jedi Action ™ ever seen. Even when they’re cartoons. Best Mace Windu-fu ever. Best Yoda-fu ever. Best Luminara-fu. Fu all round.

The other thing that it had was the beginning of the descent of Anakin. If you see Clone Wars, Anakin’s temptation to the dark side doesn’t happen all at once in the room with Palpatine, it starts with his lashing out in anger to try to kill Asajj Ventress (not sure of spelling on her) and continues to his "trial of the spirit" when he kills the party of techno union borg wannabees on Nelvaan. Even more, he becomes easier to identify with through the clone wars, since you get to see him doing all the heroic stuff he and Obi-wan talk about in the movies between the pouting and bitching. The best of the prequel movies isn’t a movie at all.

Tartakovsky should get an ongoing animated Star Wars series, set after the destruction of the second Death Star, about the New Republic folks rooting out the last vestiges of the imperials. I know it’s been done in books, but who cares?

J_W_WMarch 20, 2006 @ 4:40 pm

Re: Wanted to totally agree on Clone Wars

I just wanted to chime in on a positive note for Clone Wars. Genndy Tartakovsky did an amazing job, and the last few episodes regarding the capture of Palpatine by Grievous were fantastic. The Jedi were amazing fighters, and the Clone Wars has some of the best Jedi Action ™ ever seen. Even when they’re cartoons. Best Mace Windu-fu ever. Best Yoda-fu ever. Best Luminara-fu. Fu all round.

The other thing that it had was the beginning of the descent of Anakin. If you see Clone Wars, Anakin’s temptation to the dark side doesn’t happen all at once in the room with Palpatine, it starts with his lashing out in anger to try to kill Asajj Ventress (not sure of spelling on her) and continues to his "trial of the spirit" when he kills the party of techno union borg wannabees on Nelvaan. Even more, he becomes easier to identify with through the clone wars, since you get to see him doing all the heroic stuff he and Obi-wan talk about in the movies between the pouting and bitching. The best of the prequel movies isn’t a movie at all.

Tartakovsky should get an ongoing animated Star Wars series, set after the destruction of the second Death Star, about the New Republic folks rooting out the last vestiges of the imperials. I know it’s been done in books, but who cares?

I totally agree with you. Sometimes I really wish that Episode I didn’t exist and that everything started with two, of course with some minor changes to the finding of Anakin (but that wouldn’t hurt the story at all). Then I wish that Clone Wars was actually a live action movie in between II and III. I know there were some things in Clone Wars that are hard to do outside of animation, but I’m certain that ILM could have done it.

The only problem with this particular fantasy is that for it to work, George would have handed over the director reins to Gennady, and that wouldn’t have happened, but still it would have been cool.